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"River Song, I present thee with the ever glorious and magnificent- Taj Mahal."
He throws open the doors of the TARDIS and turns to face his wife, a broad grin on his face, his palm outstretched.
She smiles, taking his hand, a warm pink tinge rising in her cheeks when he tightens his fingers over hers. An ache settles in his hearts. She is young. So very young. Still awed by everything he does. Only some time after Area 51. Almost at the beginning of their timeline.
He teasingly tugs at her hand, pulling her closer. River at the beginning of her timeline would have slapped his arse; a smirk and sexual innuendo towards the end of her timeline (surprised gasp if a younger him). But now, somewhere where she is between getting used to his open displays of love and still being surprised by them, she laughs, a little shy. Like she is learning to accept his attentions, but is still not sure of the hows and whys. Tentative. Sometimes she smiles at him, a mischievous glint shining up at him from beneath those lashes. He likes to think he is getting good at telling how far she is in her timeline by looking at her expressions. The pink tinge in her cheeks is more a sign of youth and surprise, awed by his affections.
River rolls her eyes, but the almost skip in her steps makes him smile.
He settles a hand on her waist, bringing their joined hands to his lips. Her skin is soft and warm, and he takes delight in the shiver she tries to hide when he brushes his lips against her knuckles. She abruptly pulls her hand away. Smiling nonetheless, he gestures towards the view, "A mausoleum built by a king for his queen to memorialise their immortal love. A symbol of love and beauty- Taj Mahal. "
A rather fitting choice, he thinks. He can't imagine sharing it with anyone else but River. His queen.
"Its dragon poop", River squints, frowning.
He gapes at her head, offended by her words, "Rude. Very rude. We do not talk like this about such monuments."
An elegant eyebrow daintily rises up and River continues to stare outside, "I'm pretty sure it's dragon poop, sweetie."
He huffs and follows her gaze, sputtering when he finally sees what River is looking at with such distaste. "Eugh." Her hand still in his, Doctor steps out in the field. Sniffing, he makes a face in disgust. "It isn't Agra, is it?"
He turns his gaze in another direction and scans the area with his screwdriver. "Mm. I don't think it can be called Agra. It's Gondwana to be precise. Jurassic period. They were not big on naming their cities yet."
"Jurassic period?" River stills in her tracks. "Oh, so you are saying it's dinosaur poop?"
"It is dragon poop, alright. You see those pellets there?" He points his sonic at one side of the pile, "There weren't many, but there were a few dragons in this part."
River arches an eyebrow at him, a hand on her hip, "Sweetie, is that supposed to make me feel better about this?"
"Nah. Just correcting your facts, that's all", he tugs River along as he moves further to explore the area, mumbling under his breath, "archaeologist."
He expects a barb. A fiery comeback that never comes. He turns to look at River, who has stopped to stare at something. "Riv-" he begins, but a movement to her extreme right catches his eye.
"Doctor, what's that?"
"River, get back!" His hand around her middle, he pulls her back, panicked by the flames that engulf the shrub she was about to touch. The more the movement grows closer, the further back he moves with River. In a quick motion, he parts the shrubs, revealing the creature causing the ruckus
--x--
He viciously stokes the fire, all the while glaring at River's back. "You know Arnie could have helped us with this cold weather. You didn't have to let him go like that. He even could have proven handy for you at Stormcage, River."
"It was a baby dragon, Sweetie", River shakes her head, rubbing her hands together for warmth. Jurassic period means it is colder than they are prepared for. They have together built a fire in a cave. They'd be warmer if they huddle together, but its an inconvenience when you are trying to prove a point to your deliciously young wife who has rather devious means for distracting him. Her head propped up on her hand, River is reclining on the makeshift straw bed.
"Yes. Imagine how warm he could keep us, right now?"
"Not upto the job yourself, Sweetie?" She smirks at him, flicking her hair back and revealing the column of her throat. He groans at the memory of nights spent torturing River with feathery, butterfly kisses along her throat as his fingers mapped her insides. His voice comes out unintentionally louder, "River!"
"Fine. Suit yourself. But I'm telling you Arnie is better off with his mum. I have no intention of becoming a bedtime snack for a dragon."
He makes a face and waves off her words. "Like I would have let anything happen to you. So young", he grumbles under his breath, huffing and stoking the fire, "At least I'm warm and cozy here."
"Sorry, but frankly, my love, I don't give a damn. I just hope you have a plan to get out of here."
He scowls at her back, before pulling his coat tighter around himself. If River doesn't want to listen to his reasons, he doesn't care either. And Arnie, irrespective of the fact that he was the fire breathing creature who had set fire to the shrubs earlier, could have come in handy.
It only takes a moment to register. River is getting younger the farther he moves in his timeline. The day is coming when-
He doesn't want to even think about it. Her words at Trenzalore are still fresh in his mind.
If you ever loved me
In trying to delay the inevitable, running away from her, he hadn't ever thought how it was for her. With the childish belief that if he doesn't take her to Darilium, she can't go to the Library, he had reduced his visits. First, from every night to weekly, fortnightly, and then to few times in a year. Always running from the endings.
He knows its not enough- these visits- that she will still doubt it at the end. But the heart wants what the heart wants.
He glances at River, cursing himself as she shivers violently and curls up into a ball against the cold. Moving as silently as possible, he takes off his coat, and lies beside River, pulling his coat over their bodies. He senses the exact moment she stiffens, shushing her, soothing the feathers he has ruffled so to speak. She begins to say something, but he silences her with a finger to her lips, dropping a kiss to her shoulder, curling around her and reveling in the warmth. They will find the Tardis in the morning, but for now, he is keen on hoarding away every moment he gets with his wife, baby dragons be damned.